Technical Lead Engineer

Technical Lead Engineer

Recruiter: Express Employment Professionals (Durban South)

Job Ref: TECHLEADENG

Date posted: Thursday, August 6, 2026

Location: Durban, South Africa

Salary: Market Related

SUMMARY: This is a key leadership role responsible for leading the engineering integration of vehicle accessory systems, ensuring products are designed, validated and released to meet customer, quality, cost and timing requirements.

POSITION INFO: Key Responsibilities Lead and mentor a team of engineers, driving technical excellence and continuous improvement. Manage engineering resources, workloads, KPIs and project delivery. Lead engineering projects involving wiring harnesses, brackets, sensors, electronic modules and vehicle accessory integration. Review and approve engineering designs prior to release. Drive technical issue resolution using the 8D methodology. Ensure compliance with automotive development standards and processes, including SOR, DFMEA/PFMEA, DVPR, PPAP, APQP and Engineering Change Management. Coordinate activities between Engineering, Purchasing, Quality, Manufacturing, Suppliers and Customers. Participate in customer technical reviews and Product Development Team meetings. Oversee product development from concept through production, including CAD models, drawings, BOMs, prototype builds and manufacturing documentation. Review customer RFQs, define technical scope and support quotation development. Analyse vehicle electrical architecture, CAN networks and discrete electrical systems. Drive cost reduction initiatives and manage supplier technical performance. Travel as required to support project activities. Ideal Candidate Profile Bachelor''s Degree in Mechatronics Engineering, Electrical Engineering or equivalent. Minimum 8 years'' automotive engineering experience. Proven experience delivering automotive product development projects from concept through production. Strong understanding of automotive development processes, including SOR, DFMEA/PFMEA, DVPR, PPAP, APQP and Engineering Change Management. Working knowledge of vehicle electrical architecture and CAN communication. Experience with CAD software, preferably Siemens NX. Demonstrated experience working with customers, suppliers and cross-functional engineering teams. Strong project planning, prioritisation, leadership and communication skills. The ideal candidate is likely to be either: A Senior Design Engineer ready to step into a technical leadership and people management role; or An experienced Lead Engineer currently working within an automotive supplier environment seeking their next career opportunity.